1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to systems and methods for monitoring and analyzing airport runway area conditions.
2. Background of the Invention
Presently, in the case of an aircraft runway accident, there is no video (other than occasional amateur video recordings) or other real time visual data capture method that may be used to aid in determining the cause of the accident. Moreover, there are currently no automated systems that analyze runway conditions and provide visual information to the ground/tower controller or the flight crew. This information provided at a critical time could potentially save hundreds of lives.
Airport authorities are under tremendous pressure to ensure that their runways are safe and that they are utilized to their maximum potential. Nevertheless, runway related accidents, e.g., due to airport runway congestion and Foreign Object Debris (FOD), such as the Air France Concorde accident that claimed 118 lives, are more likely to occur with more runways and aircraft on runways. Additionally, with more congestion on runways it is increasingly difficult for ground controllers to ensure that pilots and other flight crew understand and obey taxiing and xe2x80x9chold shortxe2x80x9d instructions and prevent accidents such as the recent Singapore Airlines incident where the pilot used the wrong runway.
In a study of 1,039 air accidents taken from the Aviation Accident Database between 1997 and 1999, 7.5% were identified as the result of on ground collision with object, 10% were due to collision between aircraft (other than midair) and 5% were wheels up landings. According to this data, potentially 22.5% of 121 commercial aircraft accidents could have been avoided based on runway conditions and taxiway activity.
Therefore, the systems and methods designed in accordance with at least one embodiment of the invention provide real-time image data transmission and processing capabilities. Additionally, exemplary embodiments of the invention allow for storage of data produced from this transmission and processing on a long-term basis for archival and/or investigation purposes.